Siachen

An integral part of the nation's armed forces, India's elite Special Forces are among some of the most formidable military units in the world.

Arjun Kumar Thapa, a 34-year-old Havaldar in the Gorkha Regiment, has become the first Indian to successfully scale Mt. Everest, ascend he South Pole and finish two tours of duty at the Siachen glacier.

It is impossible for regular people to fathom the kind of life an Indian soldier leads on Siachen, the highest battlefield on earth. So, when many of these retired soldiers come back to civilian life, and work as security guards and owners of neighbourhood Mother Dairy booths, it falls on every citizen of this country to give them the utmost respect and dignity.

Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, who was miraculously rescued after being buried under 25 feet of snow for six days in Siachen, passed away this morning at the Army Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi.

Miracles happen! And the Army jawan who was found alive after remaining buried under 25 feet of snow for six days, is a living example of an amazing miracle. Lance Naik Hanumanthappa was found in a critical condition after six days of rescue efforts on the Siachen glacier.

The 10 Army personnel, who were hit by a massive avalanche at Siachen on Wednesday morning, have been declared dead by the Army. They were stationed at an altitude of 19,600 feet on the Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir, close to the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan.